One in Four Adults Spends Holidays with Neighbors

The seats around a Thanksgiving table are often filled by family members, but many Americans will choose to celebrate with their friends this week, embracing the recent tradition known as Friendsgiving. Though there might be a number of reasons someone will opt for a local potluck instead of making it “home” for the November holiday, Friendsgiving is also an expression of the rich community that many U.S. adults tell Barna they find in their own neighborhoods. Though neighborly interactions tend to be casual overall, one in four U.S. adults (23%) reports spending birthdays or holidays with their neighbors. Other celebrations include eating dinner together or gathering for neighborhood events (22%).

Millennials appear to be some of the most eager Friendsgiving participants, and fittingly, they are also the generation most likely to say that some of their neighbors are like family (12%, compared to 3% and 5% among Boomers and Elders, respectively). Three in 10 Millennials include those who live nearby in their holidays (30%) or at their dinner tables (30%).

The infographic below—a preview of one that appears in the upcoming 2018 edition of Barna Trends—shows in greater detail how Americans report sharing their lives with the people who share their zip codes.

About the Research
The research in this report was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 1,019 U.S. adults, ages 18 and older. The survey was conducted online between May 15-19, 2017. The error rate associated with this study is plus or minus 2.9 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.

Millennials: Born between 1984 and 2002Gen X: Born between 1965 and 1983Boomers: Born between 1946 and 1964Elders: Born between 1945 or earlier

Regular Church Attender: attended a church service in the past seven days, not including a special event such as a wedding or a funeral.

Practicing Christian: Those who attend a religious service at least once a month, who say their faith is very important in their lives and self-identify as a Christian.

No faith: identify as agnostic or atheist, or as having no faith

About BarnaBarna research is a private, non-partisan, for-profit organization under the umbrella of the Issachar Companies. Located in Ventura, California, Barna Group has been conducting and analyzing primary research to understand cultural trends related to values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors since 1984.